Heroine Netori

Siu had become the hero. The Aria Goddess appeared to him in a dream, giving him a holy sword and begging him to defeat the demon king and save humanity—a request that felt almost like blackmail due to its weight. However, Siu accepted her plea, comforted by the fact that he could undertake this quest with Sophia by his side.

The holy sword given to Siu, called 'Aria Goddess's Sword,' was an EX-grade artifact that aided the hero's growth, could change its appearance freely, and could be hidden at will. Additionally, the power embedded within the sword acted as a mentor for Siu, teaching him necessary skills and instincts for combat.

When Siu practiced with the holy sword, slicing through the air felt different; his stance naturally corrected itself, and he instinctively knew how to apply strength.

"This is... the holy sword."

As Siu was getting accustomed to the power of the holy sword, Sophia and Deokbae came to find him.

"So you are the hero, huh? Oh, is that the holy sword?" "Hehe... Siu! I've become a saint!"

Siu felt a similar power emanating from them and realized it was the divine energy granted by the Aria Goddess.

*****

"Sorry, Sophia."

Before they left to meet Sophia's parents at the tavern, Siu hesitated and then apologized, bowing his head to her.

"...a guard in Marta?"

Siu confessed that he would soon be applying to be a guard in Marta and that he had been training for this because he knew that, coming from a rural village without any significant backing, he needed overwhelming skill to pass. He apologized for not paying enough attention to Sophia during this time.

"Man, you should've at least mentioned it. I would have supported you or at least not gotten in your way."

Deokbae was incredulous at Siu's silence.

Siu, feeling weak for not speaking up earlier because he feared Sophia's disappointment, simply bowed his head in shame.

"It's okay... really!"

Sophia still smiled brightly, but Siu felt constrained by guilt, knowing how much Sophia had struggled while he was engrossed in his training.

"Actually, Sophia... there's something I need to talk to you about..."

Thinking it wouldn't be right to leave it unsaid, Siu was about to reveal that he planned to propose to Sophia after passing the guard trials. However, Deokbae, sensing Siu's intentions, sent Sophia ahead to the tavern and advised him.

"Man, are you trying to confess right now? What, planning to get rejected?"

"Sophia and I love each other!"

"Who in this village doesn't know that? But now's not the time, Siu. She's upset because of what? And you think confessing right now, without calming her down, is a good idea?"

"…"

"That'll just drop whatever respect she had left for you."

Siu couldn't argue with that.

Deokbae comforted him, "Look, I'll help you during the journey, so now focus on making things right with Sophia."

"Thanks, bro."

"If you're grateful, then do better from now on."

As they walked to the tavern, they were greeted by Sophia's parents, the village chief, and other village elders, all prepared to support their journey.

*****

The goddess hadn't appeared only in the dreams of the three of them.

She had visited the dreams of all the villagers, telling them that the trio was embarking on a journey for the sake of humanity and that they should support them to ensure they could travel without worries.

The villagers had contributed money for their expenses and prepared various medicines and emergency rations to aid them.

The village chief slapped Siu on the back, saying he believed in him, while Sophia's parents hugged her tightly, crying and telling her to take care and not get hurt.

Feeling awkward, Deokbae watched them and then sighed, finally speaking up.

"Aren't we not leaving yet?"

*****

Siu became a Hero, Sophia a Saint, and I awakened as a Holy Warrior. It had already been a month since our awakenings.

Siu wanted to depart immediately, but I refused. "We need at least basic preparations for Sophia’s sake," I insisted, and he agreed.

The minimal preparation… indeed required various things.

First, it was crucial to understand the limits of the powers granted to us by the Goddess.

How many times Sophia could use 'Heal,' the extent of the blinding effect of my shield, how much Siu's holy sword could transform… We checked these things one by one in advance.

We also had to get accustomed to cutting flesh and seeing blood.

Since we would have to kill monsters and there was no guarantee we wouldn't have to do the same with people, we helped out at a slaughterhouse to steady our minds.

Additionally, we needed to memorize the wild ingredients and medicinal herbs we could gather.

'Heal' was not invincible, and Sophia was no goddess. Knowing such information was almost essential, as situations could change unpredictably.

Besides that, we listened to the vigilante captain’s stories about other villages and cities, learned the route to Marta by looking at maps, and practiced together with Siu.

Of course, there were times in between when I spent happy moments with Sophia or succumbed to the temptations of a lady, which led to what one might call 'apology sex.'

Anyway, after completing all the preparations, a month had passed, and the day to start our adventure had finally arrived.

*****

"Deokbae! Take good care of Sophie!"

"Don’t worry, sir! I’ll protect Sophie, so you just worry about the tavern after I’m gone."

"Ah…!"

While they called it a tavern, most customers actually came for my cooking, so I wondered how much they’d struggle without me.

Well, they weren't going to shut down just because I left.

"Deokbae… I’m going to miss you so much…"

The lady said seductively as she hugged me and squeezed my buttocks.

Before Sophia could catch us, I tried to remove the lady's hand, but she whispered in my ear.

"Take care… and come back alive for your child."

"…What?"

"Hehe… Will it be a girl or a boy?"

"…"

I felt like I had heard something, but I couldn't quite remember.

By the time I came to my senses, we had already said our goodbyes and were leaving the village together.

*****

Our destination was Marta, where Siu had wanted to become a guard.

We planned to register as adventurers there and then move on to a larger city, perhaps defeating goblins or orcs nearby as expected in a 'classic hero story,' and then maybe an ogre or a troll as a mid-boss.

The walk from Minamo to Marta took about a week, but we planned to stop by the artisan village in the middle, which would add a couple of days.

The village chief, who had told Siu about becoming a guard in Marta, knew a lot about the city, so we planned to gather some information before entering.

"Brother… how long do we have to walk?"

"We’re walking all day today."

"And tomorrow?"

"The same all day tomorrow."

"Ugh… It’s tough!"

"Sorry, Sophie, sorry Deokbae."

Just an hour ago, we had been riding in a carriage.

The village chief had given us a small carriage as a gift to travel comfortably to Marta, and Siu and I took turns driving.

But when it was Siu’s turn, his poor driving led to an accident that wrecked the carriage.

I was in the middle of kissing Sophia when I heard a thump, and the carriage tipped over.

I quickly pulled my hand away from touching her private area and helped Sophia out of the overturned carriage, by which time the horses had already run off.

Since then, we've been walking endlessly.

"No choice then. Climb on."

"Hee! Really? Hehe."

Sophia kept whining, so I let her climb onto my back.

I could feel Sophia’s soft breasts against my back. She deliberately pressed herself closer to me, rubbing her chest against me.

"I caused the accident, so I’ll carry you instead."

"No. What if a monster appears? I’m fine, so lead the way."

"Right! Even if it’s Siu, he can’t fight while carrying me."

"Okay."

Rejected by Sophia, Siu walked ahead with slightly less energy, while I followed, massaging Sophia’s buttocks as she clung to me.

Unseen by Siu, Sophia licked my ear and then kissed my neck.

Very slowly, Quietly, so no sound would escape, Soft yet sticky, Stimulating enough to nearly arouse me.

"Haah… slurp…"

Sophia seemed aroused too, panting softly, but fortunately, Siu didn’t notice.@@novelbin@@

After walking for another two hours, it was getting dark.

We set up camp and had a simple meal.

Sophia wanted to eat the packed lunch from the inventory, but it seemed too precious to use right now.

Instead of the lunchbox, I took out a tent.

The tent was set up with one button and was large enough for three to four people, so there was no issue with all of us fitting inside.

Siu, still bothered by the carriage incident, was so tired that he fell asleep as soon as he entered the tent.

...Actually, I had slipped a sleeping pill into Siu's food.

Even a hero couldn’t beat modern chemical substances.

After calling his name several times to no avail, Sophia began to undress sneakily.

Then, naked, she lay down next to Siu and spread her legs.

Sophia boldly lifted one leg over Siu.